Excavator



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W. E. SAXE EXGAVATOR Filed Jan. 31 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (gn/vento@ fltto'z 14194 Patented Jan. 19, 1926.

WALTER E. SAIE, 0l' L08 ANGELES, Gmom EXCAVATOB.

'Application led January 31, 1925. Serial lb. 6.001.

To all whom it concern:

the material which` is to beexcavatcd. Ac-

Be it known that I, WALTER E. Saxn, a cording to my invention, I maintain a slight citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of ILos Angeles, State of California, have invented a new and use.

ful Excavator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an excavating device for removing material. Althou the invention is capable of being applied in many situations where material must be removed, for the purpose of illustration I have described it as applied to an excavator for removing' material from a bin. The general object of the invention is to provide a bodily movable conve or device which isv guided in a path throng or under the materialwhich is to be removed; also to provide means for automatically advancing the conveyordevice, but merely suilicientlv to maintain it in contact with the material.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient excavator. I

A preferred embodiment of. the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention 1s pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of my excavator, illustrating the same as applied .to a bin. which is shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and further illustrating details of the construction.

3 is a front elevation of the apparatus showing a portion of the wall of the bin broken away, and particularly illustrating the means for holding the conveyor in contact with the material being excavated. e

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a diagrammatic nature, taken substantially at right angles to the carrier or boom on which the conveyor device is mounted; this view particularly illustrates the manner in which the device maintains contact with the material.

In practicing the invention, I provide a conveyor device which is bodily movable, for which purpose it is mounted upon a carrier which su ports it, and this carrier pressure upon the carrier, merely suicient to maintain the conveyor device in contact with the material, and in this way .I supply a `sutlicient quantity of the material to the conveyor device to enable it to operate efficiently without spending unnecessary energy in forcing the conveyor device through the mass of the material. In other words, I provide a construction whereby the conveyordevice slowly eats its way through the material. This control apparatus operates in such a way that when the conveyor device reaches the limit of its movement in one direction, its movement will be reversed or 'chan in such a way that it will be able .to maintain contact with the material being excavated.

I shall now describe the invention as applied to a, carrier in the form of a boom, operating within the bin. This boom or carrier 1 is supported on a pivot shaft 2 and extends across the floor 3 of the bin 4. On this carrier or boom the conveyor device is mounted. This conveyor device may be of any common construction, but in the present instance I provide two conve or screws 5 located on oppositesides of t e carrier or boom 1. The pivot shaft 2 is set in the opening 6 in the wall of the bin so that the excavated material passes through the opening and may e hopper 7 (see Fig. 2);

Any suitable means may be provided for actuating the conveyorl device. In the resent instance this is accomplished b -ving it from a belt 8 which drives a sha y 9, and this shaft operates to drive a horizontal countershaft 10 through bevel gears 11 and 11* carried on a sleeve loose on the shaft 2; the gear 11 meshes with a gear 12 on shaft 10 to driveit. The countershaft 10 carries a pinion 12 meshing with a gear 13 which is carried by the shaft 14 of one of the conveyor screws. This gear 13 meshes with another gear 15 of the same diameter, which is carried rigidly on the shaft of the other conve or screw. These conveyor screws will there ore rotate in opposite directions, and one should be a right hand. screw and the other a left hand screw so that the will cooperate to draw material throng the be received in is guided in a pa passing through or under opening 6. If desired, the outer end of the vide an apron 17 which acts as a guard for' boom 1 may be supported on a roller 16 Fig. 4).

In order to keep the material within the bin out of contact with the gearing, I protbis purpose.

Any -suitable means may be provided for developing a force for moving the conveyor bodily to maintain it in contact with the material which it is removing. In the present instance, I provide a fluid actuated cylinder 18 having a piston 19 which is connected by a pivot 20 to the end of the boom which projects out beyond the opening 6. The ends of this cylinder are supplied with fluid or liquid under pressure by pipes 21 and 22, the admission to which is controlled by a four-way cock 23. This cock is operated by a lever 24 (see Fig. 3) and this lever is automatically controlled. For this purpose, the handle of this lever is disposed between two collars 25 near the end of a drag link 26, the other end of the drag link being attached at 27 to the upper end of an arm or post 28 which projects up from the boom. The force exerted by the liquid or fluid in the cylinder 18 is not suiicient to move the boom rapidly to and fro. The force exerted is merely suliicient to hold the conveyor device up against -the material so that the conveyor slowly eats its way through the same.

Fig. 4- illustrates the manner in Awhich the apparatus will operate to cut an arch under the material, and when this arch is suiiciently wide it will collapse; and the material above the excavator Will descend upon it.

One of the advantages of my invention is that it requires only a very small amount of power to hold the conveyor device of the excavator up against the material; however, when the limit of movement in one direction is reached, the lateral movement of the excavator will operate the lever 24 and throw it over to a reversing position, which will reverse the flow of the liquid or fluid to the cylinder and reversethe piston. The cylinder 18 oscillates on vertical trunnions 18".

In order to maintain connection with the four-Way cock, I provide a flexible hose 29 which is connected to the end of the inlet pipe 30, which leads the fluid or water under pressure into the apparatus.

If desired, the lower end of the hopper 7 may deliver the material into a horizontal conveyor device 31 which may carry the material oli to any point desired.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may talke, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.v

What I claim is l. In a bin excavator the combination of a bin with an opening in its side wall, a boom and a conveyor device carried by the boom -pivoted substantially at the opening, means for actuating the conveyor device, a hopper for receiving the material 4from the conveyor device, and automatic means for swinging the boom to and ro.

2. In a bin excavator, the combination of a bin having an opening in its side wall near the bottom of the bin, a boom pivotally mounted in the opening and extending out over the floor of the bin, a conveyor device carried by the boom, means for actuating the conveyor device to carry material through the opening, and automatic means for swinging the boom to and fro.

^ 3. In an excavator for operating upon material, the combination of a bodily movable conveyor device, means for driving the conveyor device to carry ofi' the material, and fluid-pressure actuated means for exerting just suicient force upon the conveyor device to maintain it in contact with the material to keep the same supplied with the material. v

4. In an excavator for operating upon material, the combination of a laterally.`

movable conveyor device, means for actuating the conveyor device to remove the material, and fluid-pressure actuated means for exerting a force upon the conveyor device merely sufiicient to maintain the same pressed against the material, whereby the conveyor device will be continuously supplied with material With a minimum amount of lateral movement of the conveyor.

5. In an excavator, to operate upon a piled material, the combination of a. pivotally mounted boom, a conveyor devioe mounted on the .boom to remove the material, means for actuating the conveyor device to remove the material, a fluid operated cylinder having a piston connected with the boom to swing the same to and fro, a valve for controlling the flow of the Huid to the cylinder, and automatic means for conrolling the valve to swing the boom to and ro. f

V6. In an excavator to operate upon a piled material, the combination of a movable carrier, a conveyor device mounted on the carrier, and mechanicall means for developing a force and applying the same to the carrier only sufficient to maintain the conveyor device in contact with` the material. y

7. In anl excavator, the combination of a laterally movable, conveyor device, means for actuating the same to withdraw the material being excavated, a cylinder having a fluid operated piston connected with the nected with the conveyor device and operating to exert just suiicient force upon the conveyor device to maintain the Same.

against the material being excavated, and automatic means for reversing the force exerted by the piston upon the conveyor at the end of its lateral travel in either direction.

9. In a bin excavator, the combination of a bin-having a side wall with an opening through it, a substantially vertical shaft at said opening, ,a conveyor ldevice pivotally mounted on said shaft and capable of swinging to and fro in the bin, said conveyor device including a pair of conveyor screws disposed respectively on 'opposite sides of the vertical shaft and extending through the opening so as to withdraw material;

` j. from the bin through the opening.

10. In a bin excavator, the combination of a bin having a side wall with opening through it, a substantially vertical shaft at said opening, a conveyor device pivotally mounted on` said shaft and capable of swinging to and fro in the bin, said conveyor device including a pair of conveyor screws disposed respectively on opposite sides of the vertical shaft and extending through the `opening so as to withdraw material from the binthrough the opening, and means for moving the conveyor device to and fro within the bin.

11. In a bin excavator, the combination of a bin having a side wall with an openingu init, a vertical shaft disposed in the opening, a conveyor device having a boom pivotally mounted on said shaft to swingto and fro within the bin, a pair of 'conveyor screws carried by the boom on opposite sides of the' vertical shaft and extending through the opening so as to withdraw material from the bin, a cylinder with a iuidl yoperated piston connected with the boom and operating to exert just sufficient force upon the boom to maintain the same against the material being excavated.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif. this 20th day 'of Jam/1925.

' WALTER E. SAXE. 

